The Phoenix Project
by RyukiData
Summary: Welcome to the city of Hong Kong--a city of sin, corruption, and deceit. When a sheltered tomboy gains her freedom, she finds that everything has a price. Now Sun Shang Xiang must choose--family, wealth, and love, or her own humanity. [dark AU. Updated!]
1. Prologue: the Birth

[Author's Quickie: Well, I've been browsing through the racks of , and not surprisingly I haven't yet found a good fanfic that is dark AU--alternate universe/reality. Probably I because I haven't looked hard enough. In any case, this is a long, innocent first chapter. Don't expect every chapter to be this long! This story takes place in modern-day Hong Kong--big city, rich people, triads and secret gangs, the works. This is dark, hence the PG-13 rating, maybe R later on. It'll get there.]

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The Phoenix Project

Prologue: The Birth

It was morning. She found herself repeating it silently over and over in her mind, like a broken record still on the turntable. Morning, the morning of the day she would finally be entering high school. The day she would finally be set free.

With the barest trace of a smile she stared at her reflection in the mirror, glancing at the composed seventeen year-old girl who stared back with a hint of nervousness. She reached up to touch her newly-trimmed hair, the shortness of it still surprising. She had gotten it cut just for today. She tried smiling again, hoping to put forth some warmth into her expression. "You're going to public school today," she said aloud, trying to quash the uneasiness in her stomach. "After twelve years…you'll be able talk with other girls…hang out with them…do all the things you want to do…" Her reflection merely stared out at her with frightened eyes.

She sighed and rose from the chair, sliding the wood back on thick carpet. What was happening to her? Why was she scared when she should be excited? Why was she frightened when she should be happy?

A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts as easily as a rock disperses water in a lake. She looked up swiftly, and saw one of the servants bow from the doorway. "Miss Sun, breakfast is ready now. Your father calls you downstairs."

"I'll be right down," she replied, reaching out for her backpack. It felt strangely empty, since she didn't have any books yet; and the only things in it were her pencil case and a graphing calculator. Father had told her not to take her laptop to school yet, since in his words it would "provoke unnecessary fights."

"Fights?" she had asked him then, her eyes filled with puzzlement.

"You will learn, sooner or later, my daughter, that the world is a lot bigger, a lot crueler, than life at home. That is why I did not want you to go to public school, why I hired a private tutor for you all these years. I didn't want you to be trampled like a dusty flower underfoot by the common herd. I wanted you to bloom in a glass vase, to bloom beautifully and pure…" Sun Jian had paused, and with a weary sigh placed a hand on her head. "But you must learn about the world out there, Shang Xiang. It is unfair of me to shelter you forever. Your turn has come."

She shook herself back to reality, Father's words still echoing dimly in her head. "My turn…has come," she repeated, steadying herself for the events of the day. She took one last look at the mirror, a brave smile on her face, and ran out of the bedroom.

Her second-eldest brother greeted her from the stairs. "Morning, little sister. You look pretty in that school uniform."

She tried hard not to blush. Being commented on her looks had always made her self-conscious, since she was considered something of a tomboy; but Quan's words held no sarcasm or humor. With a somewhat self-confident look she replied, "Thank you." Then with a searching glance she looked more closely at her brother's face, noting how red his eyes were. "Have you been up studying all night again, Quan? You look tired."

Quan smiled and rubbed his eyes with his hand. "Just a little. One thing HuaXia high school is famous for is its difficult midterms. You'll get used to them soon."

"Oh, goody," she said with a wry smile, and Quan laughed.

"We'd better go down," Quan said, leading the way downstairs, "the others are waiting for us." They walked down the twisting stairs until they reached the small dining room, reserved for daily family meals. The much larger dining room, in reality more a dining hall, was used only for social gatherings and things of that sort. The two met their father and older brother sitting down at the twelve-person table, and exchanged good mornings.

Shang Xiang dropped her bag onto the floor beside her chair, next to Sun Ce. "Morning, sis," Ce said with a wolfish grin as he shoveled another forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"Morning yourself. Don't talk with your mouth open," she replied promptly, plopping down onto the white rosewood chair and picking up her spoon. "Otherwise you might choke and God knows what we might do if you die."

"Or might not do," Quan said from across the table on Sun Jian's other side, a mocking smile on his face.

"Hah hah, you're so witty, Shang Xiang," Ce said with a smirk, and tried to ruffle her hair. She fended him off with a glare.

"Don't you dare touch my hair, Ce," she warned, and speared her sausage with a vengeance. It was comforting, to banter idly with her brothers. It made her anxiety take a backseat to normal routine.

"Well, I must say, little sis, you do look cute today," Ce said as he wiped off the milk moustache that had formed when he drank from his glass. "Want to impress all the guys, huh?" Ce winked at her, and she scowled deeply.

"Shut up. You're annoying as hell," she snapped.

"Shang Xiang," her father interjected imposingly, and she knew better than to continue. She closed her mouth and ate in silence as the others talked about business affairs, things she knew little about and cared even less, until at last her father turned to speak to her. "You're starting school today, Shang Xiang." He paused, as if weighing his words carefully. "I want you to be friendly. No tempers," he said with a stern look, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. Her fierce temper was legendary among members of the house. It wasn't like she could _help _it, it just happened-- "Don't be too friendly, but don't be too withdrawn. And above all, be careful. Ce, Quan, I want the both of you to look after your younger sister. Make sure she stays out of trouble."

Frowning, Shang Xiang looked up at her father's words. Did he expect her to get _in_ trouble? Was he expecting her to go looking for trouble, for God's sake? But she saw some hidden message passing from Sun Jian's gaze to her brothers', unspoken words. What were they saying to each other? she wondered, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

Just then the connection was broken, and breakfast resumed its normal carefree air, making her feel like she was the end spoke of a wheel, always left out. Pushing her plate away with abrupt anger, she stood up and slid back her chair. "I'm ready to go," she announced shortly, feeling her temper spark the tiniest bit. She was _not _weak. She was _not_ going to be left out of anything--how many times must she be penned up in the gender cage? God damn the Chinese tradition!

Ce looked up and wiped off the bit of egg stuck to his semi-shaved chin. "Okay. I think we'd better go now anyway. Don't want to be late on your first day of school, huh sis?" He reached out to ruffle her hair once more, but she jerked away and eyed him with smoldering displeasure.

Quan picked up his bag and said soothingly, "Come on, Ce. Don't treat her like a kid anymore."

"Can't help it." Ce flashed his brother a grin. "You're all kids to me."

Quan sighed and tugged on his shoes. "Who's driving? Me or you?"

Ce looked almost affronted. "Me, of course! Elder privileges," he said, winking at his father. Shang Xiang was almost out the door when Sun Jian called out, "Shang Xiang. Always remember: family comes first." She blinked at this cryptic sentence, her confusion mounting. Was this all he had to say? Looking around, she could see Quan and Ce sharing another secret look.

"Later, Dad," Ce called out, and pushed open the two front doors. Silently she followed the two of them out to the second garage, where Ce drew out his key remote and pressed a button. The door mechanism whirred, clicked, and slid open smoothly, revealing a brand new red Astin Martin, complete with leather interior and integrated subwoofers. Material pleasures so easily indulged in, Shang Xiang thought with the faintest trace of bitterness. Everything for the oldest son.

She was being unfair, she knew. As the youngest, and a daughter to boot, Sun Jian favored her. It was just…it was unfair how many restrictions were placed upon her, how many no's compared to the yes's. With a silent sigh Shang Xiang stared out the window at the passing scenery as Ce revved up the engine and began to drive.

A feeling of suppressed panic seized hold as she saw the school grounds surfacing in the front windshield. _No!_ In childish desperation she grabbed the armrest, digging her fingernails into it as if it would provide her an anchor to hold onto. _Wasn't this what you wanted? To go to school? _She could hear the Fates laughing at her fears.

The car pulled up to a stop at the largest parking lot, which was right next to… "the Cafeteria," Ce said, as if sharing useful knowledge with her would lessen her anger with them. "One thing you'll quickly learn, sis, is that HuaXia has the best food available. Makes up for all the entrance exams we have to take." He winked again, and as he withdrew his key from the ignition he glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "I'll tell you something else: since this parking lot is so close to the Café, many people just skip lunch and drive away to a more…ahh, secluded spot. So if you're planning on getting together with someone, you'd better not let me catch you." There was a humorous twinkle in his eyes as he said this last part, but Shang Xiang eyed him with steady coldness.

"Thanks for the tip, but I don't think I'll need it," she said icily, and slammed the car door shut behind her as she got out. Digging into the pocket of her bag for the map and instructions, she felt only mildly grateful when Quan got out behind her and said, "The Quad's that way. You'll need to register in the Main Office, which is on your left side after you enter the doors."

She had to keep herself from snarling as she spat out, "I don't need your help," and whirled around to walk in the direction he had pointed to. For a few moments Quan and Ce stared after her, Ce leaning on his open car door with his arms crossed.

"I can see why Father's worried about her," Quan said quietly, closing his eyes in fatigue. "She's so headstrong. I'm glad she's fearless and high-hearted, but it could get her into trouble."

Ce grimaced and rubbed his chin. "It _will_ get her into trouble, no doubt about that. The problem is which side she'll stay on."

"I hope…" Quan paused, then shook his head in sorrow. "I hope she doesn't get tainted with this thing. It would break her…if she ever found out."

"Let's hope for the best, then."

Fifteen minutes later, she was so frustrated that she was about to spit. Class had well started, and here she was, still wandering the halls like an incompetent elementary school kid! Where was the stupid office, anyway? Quan had said it was in the Quad, and yet she could see no office, only empty computer labs and silent classrooms.

Poking her head into one of them, she saw with appreciation at the gleaming metallic tables and the slim Sony VAIO's placed on top of each section, each sporting its own new LCD monitor. While it was true that HuaXia was a public school, it was rich enough and selective enough to be a private school. In a sense, HuaXia was a prep school. Grades were divided 9-12 for the lower classes, and the upper classmen were at college level, undergraduates. Students earned their bachelor degrees at the culmination of eight years. Because of this unusualness, HuaXia's entrance exams weeded out the improper candidates extremely efficiently. "Waste not, want not," could have been the school's motto.

With a despondent sigh Shang Xiang retreated from the computer lab and started walking down the hall again, her head pulsing with an odd headache. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to get lost, and then make a fool out of herself by entering a classroom late. She hated drawing attention to herself. Ce had hoarded all the popularity genes in her family.

Her head throbbed. Weakly she stopped at the top of the stairway and placed a hand on the rough brick to steady herself, her legs suddenly feeling like lead. She was _not_ weak. What was wrong with her? Now she couldn't even stand straight…

With a small cry she found herself tumbling to the floor, her precious grip slipping from her fingers. The malevolent stairs loomed up, the sharp corners seeming to grin in wicked anticipation of tasting her blood--she shut her eyes--

And just as suddenly she no longer felt her weight on the ground, a feeling of lightness penetrating through her limbs. She was dangling--something warm on her face, around her arms. With startled surprise she opened her eyes, looking up into the face of her savior.

The man--just a boy, really, around her age--smiled in evident relief. "Hey there. Nice way to meet, huh?" For a few moments she just stared up at him, taking in little details as her brain struggled to process her fall. Tiny details--such as the color of his eyes (warm brown), and the way his hair flipped outwards at the ends, or the spot of heat his hands were generating at the small of her back-- She jerked in his grasp, and uttered in an uneven voice, "Could you…could you let go of me now, please?"

He gave her an abashed, self-conscious grin and detached himself from her, slowly so that she could find time to regain her balance. She stood up, awkward and unsure. She had been unsure since the very beginning. "Are you alright?" the man asked after a couple of seconds, smiling hesitantly. "If you're not feeling well, you should go to the nurse."

"Uh…" Shang Xiang fumbled, thinking of distracting things to say. "I…"

The man blinked. "You don't know the way? …You must be new here. So that's why I thought I've never seen you before." He smiled again, and she had to wonder what was so funny, or pleasant. She felt mortified. "You must be lost. HuaXia's a big school. It's easy to wander forever. If you want, I'd be happy to show you the way."

"No. I'm fine," she said tersely, gathering up her things from the floor. "I don't need any help."

He looked puzzled, almost as if he didn't believe her. "Class started a while ago. Won't you be late?"

"Won't _you_ be late?" she snapped back rather rudely, but she couldn't quash the uneasy feeling this man gave her. A sense of dread, almost…like he was the key to her destruction. A mirror. A reflection. How stupid, she thought, shoving the emotions into the back of her mind like unwanted laundry. She was _not _weak. How dare this man…this…this _boy_, tell her so?

He seemed taken aback for a moment at her cold words, then managed a small smile. "Yes, I am. So I'd appreciate it if you keep this a secret…between you and me. How about this…if you promise not to tell anyone, I'll take you to the Main Office. Deal?"

Shang Xiang stared at him with guided mistrust. Did he actually think his laced words fooled her? She knew it was simply another way for him to help her out. Well, forget pride, she thought angrily. With a glance at her watch, she saw it was already 8:30. "Fine," she said with her chin uplifted, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her humbled, "it's a deal." Twisting around to shove her things into her backpack, she slung it over one shoulder and gave him a careless shrug. "Can we go now?" She started down the stairs, focusing solely on putting one foot in front of the order and not on the person walking behind her.

"Of course, Princess."

She nearly tripped forward when she heard his soft voice over her shoulder. She held back the instinct to lunge at him and instead snarled her displeasure. "What-did-you-call-me?" she said with barely-contained anger.

"Princess." He smiled widely, unfazed by her furious glare, and shrugged. "You reminded me of one."

"Don't call me that," she hissed, shaken more than she could say. Princess. She had always pretended she was a princess of some imperial palace when she was young, a lovely and well-trained maiden, waiting to be rescued by some foreign and handsome prince. That dream had all but disappeared now. The facts--what were the facts? She was not pretty; she was a tomboy; she held no use for song and dance and instead went straight for the sword. She was a caged bird. She was fighting reality--a losing battle, an endless war.

"As you wish," the man answered good-humouredly, and Shang Xiang wanted to bite him.

"Where is this stupid office anyway?" she said in a loud voice, to cover up her own uneasiness. She hated being close to this man. He made her feel incompetent, foolish. Weak.

"Right here." He pointed to a door that was right in front of them, on which the words "MAIN OFFICE" were written in gold capital letters. Shang Xiang flushed angrily. Without a word she stomped into room, yanking the door open harder than she had meant to. She hoped it had hit him in the face.

"Excuse me," she said, stopping at the receptionist desk. "I've just transferred here…and I was told I need to register for my first day. Can you help me?"

The lady looked up from her keyboard, nodding as her fingers dashed out a hundred words a minute. "Yes, dear. I'll need your school ID and the registration papers, please." Shang Xiang began fishing the materials out from her bag, when she suddenly felt someone's eyes upon her. She jerked her head around and saw the man still standing there.

"What are you doing?" she asked, controlling her voice to a steady tone so that the secretary wouldn't think she was a totally improper girl. "I'm here. Okay. You can leave now."

The man smiled and tilted his head to one side, leaning casually against the doorframe. "I have business here myself, Princess."

He was _really_ pushing it. This time Shang Xiang considered giving him a good kick in the face, then decided he wasn't worth it. Ignoring him, she turned back to the secretary and handed over her papers. "Oh. I _see_," the secretary said after a while, leafing through the pages. "I think the principal would like to give you a welcome address before you go to your first class. Wait here for a second." The lady got up from her chair and entered a door on the far side of the large office.

"Okay. Thanks," Shang Xiang replied with concealed bewilderment. Did they do that to every student who came to HuaXia? What was so special about her papers that the secretary would say "I see" in such a peculiar tone?

A door swung open from the other side, and instinctively she glanced up. A different secretary was approaching them, and from what Shang Xiang could see she was holding a large manila envelope in her hand. "Here. The documents you requested," the heavily-rouged woman said to the boy leaning against the door.

"Thank you very much," he replied, and the secretary left again. He paused for a minute, feeling the weight of the envelope in his hand, and then turned towards the door. "Well, Princess, I have to leave now. I guess I'll be seeing you later on." She gave him a disinterested stare. He laughed and touched his temples with his fingers. "I hope you'll get adjusted to HuaXia soon enough." Something was lighting up his eyes as he gave her a deep look, his voice suddenly less teasing and more solemn. "Don't worry. Everything will fall into place…sooner or later."

He waved once and was gone.

Sitting in the principal's office with a straight face was a hard fight for her. She wanted to do nothing more than bolt out the door, instead of being forced to look at the overweening, fawning half wit that was Yuan Shao.

"We welcome you here with greatest respect, Miss Sun. I have no doubt that you will find HuaXia to your liking. It is the best in all aspects of what education should be…curriculum…enthusiasm… community…pride…" Shang Xiang let her mind wander. What was the point of listening to such drivel? It made no difference to her.

"Ah…I hope that Sun Jian is well? We used to be great friends. He and I fought in the war together," Yuan Shao said airly, picking up the picture frames on his desk and fiddling with the metal corners.

Shang Xiang instantly assumed a look of attention when Yuan Shao turned to her. "Yes, sir. My father is doing fine."

"Ah. That is good to hear. The Sun family has long been generous patrons of the school. It is due to their generosity that HuaXia was able to build the new C wing of the underclassmen science hall…"

So that was it, Shang Xiang thought wryly. Her father donated thousands of dollars a year to support the school No wonder the principal seemed to be tripping over himself in his haste to carry back good words to the family.

After a few more minutes and more than enough stifled yawns, Shang Xiang was dismissed from the room. "Your schedule is right here," Yuan Shao said, handing her a glossy folder with the school's insignia printed on top, "and the 2nd period class should be starting soon. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to see me anytime." Yuan Shao beamed as he said this, and Shang Xiang faked a smile.

"Thank you, sir." Grabbing the folder, she went out of the main office and sighed a breath of relief. Flipping back the pages on the schedule, she saw her 2nd period class was Philosophy. God, what had she been thinking when she signed up for this class?

She began walking to her room, having enough sense now to glance up at the numbers on top of each door. She found it just as the bell rung. Swarms of students poured out of the doors, chattering noisily and interrupting the silence that had been there moments before. To avoid the pushing, Shang Xiang stood to the side of the door and slipped inside just when everyone else, including the teacher, had left.

Or almost everyone. She stopped when she saw the familiar face of the man who had helped her earlier, sitting quite serenely at his desk in the back of the room.

"It's you!" she said, her voice dipping down between annoyance and hope.

He turned to smile at her, an elbow propped up lazily on his textbook. "So it is." He leaned back in his chair, giving her a look of complacent familiarity. "You've never told me your name, by the way."

She swallowed a black epithet and stared at him coolly. His attitude in regards to her was annoying as hell. Why did he talk to her so lightheartedly? Better yet, why must he talk to her at all? "Sun Shang Xiang," she said in an uplifted voice. "Yours?"

A grin flitted across the man's youthful face. "Lu Xun. So you're Sun Shang Xiang…"

She ignored the curiosity in his voice and asked him impatiently, "What are you doing here?"

The grin on his face deepened, and that golden light was back in his brown eyes. "To save you, of course."

"To save me?" The pupils in her dark brown eyes contracted, her gaze narrowing into sharp disbelief as she repeated his words. "What are you talking about?" she asked with gritted teeth, slamming her backpack onto the front of his desk. "Make some sense, damn it!" He looked up at her, nonplussed.

"Don't take everything so seriously," he said, glancing up at her with the same smile on his face. She wanted to scream her frustration. What was she, something to laugh at?

She opened to mouth to reply with a stinging retort, but just then the bell rang again. The students started filing into the room, and with a furious glare Shang Xiang grabbed her bag and yanked it off Lu Xun's desk. Ignoring him, she stood by the doorway as the teacher entered, an elderly old man who seemed kind and just a little senile.

"Ah, are you the new student?" the teacher said, looking at her up and down as he opened his attendance book.

"Yes, sir."

"Very good. Class, I would like you to meet Sun Shang Xiang. I trust you will treat her with courtesy." He frowned for a minute as the class chattered and stared at her with scrutinizing eyes, then coughed for attention. "Ah, yes. There is an empty seat behind Lu Xun that you can take. Lu Xun, stand up so Shang Xiang knows where to sit."

"Yes, sir." Lu Xun stood up, patiently bearing Shang Xiang's look of irritation, and waited until she had sat down before sitting down himself. Sun Ce had told him beforehand what to expect; the problem was that her presence had still caught him off guard. Headstrong? Yes. Stubborn? Yes. Somehow, someway, vulnerable? Yes, though she didn't know it. Would she break when she learned the family secret? Would she run? Who would she choose--family or conscience?

"I hate you," he heard her whisper resentfully behind him, and he smiled.

Too bad that he loved her.

[End Notes: Obscure hints and the like. The Sun family has a secret--can you guess what it is? Here's a hint--money & power doesn't come cheap. Other characters to be introduced next chapter, and then the plot should become more evident.]


	2. Chapter one: the Flight

[Author's Quickie: Hi there readers. This chapter is still a little slow, but trust me, it's needed. For some reason, hates spacing; it keeps on deleting my "" and "" signs. Hopefully you can decide for yourself where they are needed. Next chapter is a lot more fast-paced and (shall I say) exciting, so see you next week!]

[Universal disclaimer insert here]

The Phoenix Project

Chapter One: The Flight

By the time 2nd period was over, Shang Xiang was nearly weeping in frustration. The senile old teacher had forgotten to give her any books. Her classmates kept giving her odd looks and kept whispering behind her back. Lu Xun, somehow, had not turned back to look or speak to her at all during class, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or angry.

_Why?_

She shook it off in irritation, wondering why he had such a big impact on her emotions. Every time she saw him, she wanted to choke him. Slap him. Anything. It was _odd_.

When the bell for 3rd period rang, she threw her things into her bag and brushed past Lu Xun's desk, deciding resolutely to ignore his existence. Well, okay. So she _was_ mean and rude and loud and obnoxious… Shang Xiang sighed as she walked to her next class, jostled about by the shoulders of other students hurrying on their way. She couldn't help it. Her personality sucked.

But she didn't want to be alone.

3rd period meant physical education class, she realized as she squinted at the words on her schedule. The second gymnasium, which would be… It took a minute to get her bearings, and standing in the middle of a hallway intersection wasn't exactly helpful. Hallways branched left and right, up and down; classrooms all looked the same in this wing, so never mind finding the gym… She gnashed her teeth in misery, all the while trying to act like she knew where to go. What torture.

A soft tap on her shoulder made her jerk around in surprise, and when she saw Lu Xun standing curiously behind her she jumped. "Hey there," he said quietly, "Need some help?"

_Yes. No. I'm not weak. I need help. Don't think that just because I'm a girl I'm inferior. I don't want to be alone, damn it!_ "Yes," she blurted out quickly, before her resolve failed her. "I'm looking for the second gym."

"Second gym? Let me see your schedule," Lu Xun said, and reluctantly Shang Xiang handed it over. He glanced at it a few times, then smiled at her. For some reason she felt better when he smiled, as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. _Stupid_, she thought angrily. "Okay, I see now. The gym you're looking for is on the other side of the Quad, near the swimming pool. I'll take you there, since I'm going there myself." He handed her back the paper, and grinned cheerfully. "Looks like I'll be seeing you in almost every class, Shang Xiang."

She didn't quite know how to respond to that.

"Come on," he said, and she followed him side-by-side as she walked out of the double doors and into the Quad. It didn't take them that long to reach the gyms. Tall, domed-shaped structures that looked as if they were constructed out of metal, the gyms had a professional feel to them--considering that they cost the school $10 million to build. "Here," Lu Xun said, nudging her towards the main entrance, "the coaches' office is in there. She'll give you your gym uniform, and then you can go change in the girl's locker room. I've got to go change myself, so I'll see you in class."

"Right." She swallowed, and headed into the glass doors. The nameplate outside the door said "Xu Rong." After a minute or two of showing her schedule to the coach, Shang Xiang received a grunt from the gym teacher and a package of clothing was shoved into her arms.

"The girls' locker rooms are down the hall to the right," the teacher said irritably, "You have three minutes." Shang Xiang, deciding to weather the storm, bowed and retreated from the office. As she approached the locker room, she felt vague apprehension. There was bound to be snotty girls in a school like this. She only hoped that they would ignore her.

When she entered, she was met by two dozen staring eyes. _Crap_, she thought, _what an entrance I make._ Silently she made her way over to an empty spot, waiting with her back turned for the girls to stop staring. After a while, the chatter returned to normal levels, and she started changing. As she reached for her gym shorts, a hand snatched it up from the bench and held it above her sitting position. Shang Xiang whirled around angrily.

"So you're the new girl, huh?" A high-pitched voice said from above, "How sad. You know, here at HuaXia there's a valued tradition--the new girl has to run around the track naked the first class." The room rocked with laughter and asinine giggles as the girl's smirk widened. Shang Xiang stared her down, rising to her own feet to look her in the face.

"Give them back," she gritted out, hands clenching together tightly.

"And what if I don't?" the other girl asked in a sing-song voice, flipping one of her long black ponytails behind her shoulder. She was heavily drenched in makeup, and was almost a full inch shorter than Shang Xiang. "What are you going to do about it, new girl?"

Without answering Shang Xiang drew back her hand for a backslap, stopping just before her hand was about to hit the girl's face. "Give them back," she ordered coldly once more, not all at intimidated by the girl who looked like she was 14 instead of 17.

The girl's face whitened. "Here, take them," she snarled as she flung the shorts onto the floor, tossing her head haughtily. "But don't you forget, girl, even if you don't remember anything else: I'm Da Qiao. _I'm _the queen around here, and anything I say goes. You won't last long against me." Calmly Shang Xiang picked up the short from the floor, watching out of the corner of her eyes as the girl and the rest of her troop left the room.

"Well, that was interesting," Shang Xiang said sarcastically to the empty room, "What a warm welcome." Shaking her head, she pulled the shorts on, slipped on her sneakers, and went into the gymnasium.

The first thing that she noticed, as her eyes struggled to adjust in the bright light, was that the gym was huge. The second thing she noticed was that her brother was there.

"Ce!" she cried out in some surprise, running over to the group he was standing with, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Shang Xiang," Ce said, a lazy grin on his stubble-ridded face. "Didn't you know gym classes are integrated? A gym class can have all grade levels, even upperclassmen." He winked, saying, "Of course, it is highly uncommon that someone as wonderful as I am should be here, so your surprise is excusable."

A man standing to Ce's right groaned good-naturedly. "Ce, who ever said we wanted you here?"

"Yeah, all you ever do is drag us down," another guy threw in..

"Come on, guys, that hurt," Ce complained, and reached over to clasp Shang Xiang's shoulder. "Don't embarrass me in front of my little sister. I'll never live it down."

"Don't worry, Ce," she answered for him, "Your reputation can't get any worse."

The other men roared with laughter, and Shang Xiang felt herself turning red. Being near girls was bad, but guys were worse. It was something her father had said over and over to her--"Don't trust any men, Shang Xiang. Men lie." She had wondered if that included her own family as well.

"So this is your little sister, Ce?" One of the men leaned in, studying her face. "She's cute," he pronounced with a satisfied smile. "Looks nothing like you."

"Hah ha, so funny," Ce replied sardonically, giving him a faint push. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Shang Xiang, meet my friends. This is Zhou Yu, my best friend." He pointed to a man with long black hair tied up in a ponytail. He had an air of sophistication, and looked around Ce's age. _Probably a womanizer, _Shang Xiang thought dryly, but nodded politely nonetheless.

"Lu Meng," Ce continued, pointing to an older-looking man with a short black ponytail, "is an upper-upperclassman. He's graduating HuaXia this year." Lu Meng grunted when she nodded at him too.

"Eh, Lu Meng's always like that. Anyway, here we have Guang Hai, who's also a senior upperclassman. He always looks quiet and serious, don't mind him," Ce said, jerking his thumb at a bald man who nodded silently.

"And this is Gan Ning. He's sober right now." Ce snickered, lightly punching a muscular man with rampant spiked brownish-red hair. "He's only scary when he's drunk."

"Whereas, you're scary all the time, Ce," another voice cut in, faintly amused.

"Ah," Ce sighed, "and last but not least, we have our chess-club champion, debate team captain, volleyball MVP, yours truly, Lu Xun."

Lu Xun grinned widely and flashed Shang Xiang a knowing smile. She had to fight the blush from appearing on her face, and instead turned to look at her brother. "Volleyball, huh?" she observed coolly, raising an eyebrow.

Ce sighed and rubbed his chin with his hand. "Oh boy," he muttered to himself as Gan Ning overheard, "We're gonna have a battlefield."

"So little sis likes to play volleyball, huh?" Gan Ning said, shouldering Ce aside. He eyed her with scrutiny and doubt. "You don't look like you're up to the challenge," he noted, inadvertently flexing the muscles in his upper arm.

"Don't judge me by your standards," she snapped, her eyes narrowing in distaste. "That's unpleasant. I bet I could mop the floor with you, even if I had the worst players on my team!"

Gan Ning's smile broadened. "Oh ho, little sis has a temper."

"You're asking for it," Ce warned, holding a hand up to his face. "You don't want to get her started, Ning."

"Too late now," Shang Xiang cut in, already heading back to her role spot. "We'll see who's up to the challenge." As class officially started, the teacher wandered up and down the rows of students and checked their name off the attendance list while they stretched. Angrily Shang Xiang tightened her hand into a fist, boiling with adrenaline and fury. Ning was just like her brother! Always putting her down, thinking her weak, calling her "little sis"; she hated it!

The class was split up into teams for volleyball, and anxiously Shang Xiang awaited the calling of her name. When the teacher finally got to it, Shang Xiang closed her eyes and whispered in a fervent prayer, "Not me, not me, not me…" But it was too late. She was stuck on a team with Da Qiao. She opened her eyes to see Da Qiao's equally ferocious glare, and groaned silently. Her only consolation was that Lu Xun was on her team as well.

"I hope you play as well as they say you do," Shang Xiang said unabashedly to him, and he merely smiled, the dimples at the corners of his cheeks flaring to life. "I hope you do too," he answered, tilting his head in quiet challenge. She grinned at him.

"Talk is cheap," she countered, and bent down in the ready position.

"It is." He did the same, his elbows lightly touching the tops of his knees as he leaned forward, eyes bright and alert. She appreciated this all the more considering that Da Qiao and the two other people on their team were standing stock-still and ramrod-straight, not knowing that doing so was to ask to get hit in the face by a spike.

"Ready over there, Shang Xiang?" Gan Ning yelled from the other side of the court, his left arm lifted in an overhand serve. "Cause here I come!" He tossed the ball up and hit it in a powerful float, and Shang Xiang had to admit that Ning's muscles were good for something. Quickly she ran over underneath the ball, bumping it up to the middle front. Lu Xun set the ball up in a graceful arc, and with adrenaline pumping in her ears Shang Xiang approached the net and jumped up, swung her arm down and slammed the ball downwards.

To her surprise, Zhou Yu managed to dig her spike, and Ce quickly sent it back over the net with a short set. This time, Lu Xun received the ball and Shang Xiang set it straight up, where Xun killed it by smashing it into the deep left corner.

"Nice," she managed, out of breath, her grin wide.

He looked over at her, genuinely pleased. "You, too."

She gave him a mock frown. "What were you expecting?"

"Nothing but the best," he answered solemnly, and she looked at him quizzically for a few moments before she was interrupted. Ce had rolled the ball under the net for their serve, and to her intense disappointment Da Qiao was serving first.

Da Qiao glared fiercely at Shang Xiang, her hand curled up into a tiny fist. "You think you're so damn _great_," she snarled, low enough so that only she could hear, "but you're not the only one who can play volleyball!" So saying, she launched the ball over in an underhand serve, and Shang Xiang stifled a laugh. Needless to say, Ce put the ball over with little difficulty, and Lu Xun had to dive to pick up the spike. Quickly Shang Xiang darted over and pretended to set it upwards for a spike, and instead set it backwards over the net. Gan Ning fumbled for a footing but somehow managed to dig it up so that Zhou Yu could slam it over, straight at--

_Smack_. It hit Da Qiao right in the face, and she immediately crumpled to the ground, shielding her head with her arms. The game was put on hold as everyone in the class rushed over, the gym teacher most of all.

"What happened?" Xu Rong asked briskly, tugging away Da Qiao's arms from her face so she could assess the damage. "You got hit by the ball? There's a bruise on your forehead."

"Mrs. Rong," Da Qiao whimpered, "Shang Xiang pushed me into it. She did it on purpose, I swear!"

"_What_?" Shang Xiang exclaimed in horrible surprise, "I never even touched you!"

"You did!" Da Qiao pointed an accusatory finger at her, her eyes glowing with bright malice behind her tears. "She hates me, Mrs. Rong, she wanted to hurt me--!"

"Now, now, Miss Qiao, I'm sure that it was all just a mistake. Get up now. Miss Xiao Qiao, can you take your sister to the nurse? Alright, everyone, class is over for today. Go change." With curt instructions the teacher dismissed them, and Shang Xiang was left to shuffle back to the locker room in boiling indignation.

When she entered the locker room, she was pinned by two dozen reproaching pairs of eyes. "What a bitch," she heard one of the girls say loudly, "How could she do something like that to Da Qiao?" _Ugh. That witch_, Shang Xiang thought furiously as she slammed her locker shut, when everyone else had already left the room. Grabbing her backpack, she walked out into the crowded halls seething with fury.

It seemed that gossip traveled fast in this school. Already she could see people talking and pointing openly at her, some with open amusement and many with angry glares. With her chin held up high, Shang Xiang walked through the crowds, her cheeks tinged with only the faintest of blushes. Fourth period was microbiology, and with a sinking despair Shang Xiang saw that Lu Xun was not in her class.

She caught herself just as the thought crossed her mind. _I do not need him_, she whispered silently in her mind, _I can handle this by myself!_ Bravely she entered the classroom, and took a seat in the back hoping she would go unnoticed by the rest of the people who had yet to come in. When nearly everyone had filtered in, the bell rang just as a group of older girls walked in, talking heedlessly. Shang Xiang caught a fragment of their conversation:

"Well, Da Qiao actually got what she deserved, for once. She's such a fag." The leader of the troupe, a tall, beautiful long-haired girl with a small mole under her right eye, said everything without even batting an eyelash. "It's a damned wonder why no one hit her earlier." The other girls nodded their assent, and Shang Xiang ducked her head in embarrassment. So it seemed that Da Qiao had her enemies as well. Did that mean this girl was her ally?

The long-haired girl walked over and gave Shang Xiang a disgusted look. "Tch…_Get_ _out_," she said imperviously, eyes narrowed.

"What?" Shang Xiang was startled into replying, her face turning crimson as she realized everyone, including the teacher, was staring at them.

"You're in my seat," the girl said in the same icy tone, slamming her books down on the desk.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know." Shang Xiang fumbled getting her stuff together and slid out of the seat, looking for an empty spot. Oh, _god_. Why couldn't she have a normal, peaceful first day?

"Stupid newbies," the girl muttered loudly, plopping into the seat Shang Xiang had just vacated, flipping idly through a fashion magazine with her left pinkie. Shang Xiang's eyes narrowed in composed anger as she heard this, realizing that this girl was just as bad as Da Qiao--in all events, probably even worse.

Without feeling the least bit of sorrow Shang Xiang walked to the last row, where there was an empty seat behind a black-haired guy with a short spiky ponytail at the nape of his neck. She slid into the seat and threw open her books, biting down roughly on her lower lip. Now that she was here, she could fully appreciate home schooling. There wasn't so much of this popularity crap…this race to put down everyone that walked in your path. Vaguely Shang Xiang wondered if it was possible for her to drop out now, then she bristled with indignation. _I can handle this_, she said silently to herself, _It's not that big of a deal._

In front of her, the man stirred and shifted in his seat. Shang Xiang glanced at him for a few moments, and returned to copying down the notes from the blackboard. Forty minutes later, the bell rang and the class was dismissed. Shang Xiang carefully waited for the long-haired girl and her group of friends to leave before getting up from her seat; she didn't want another confrontation like before. As she got up, a hand grasped her wrist--it was the guy who had sat in front of her, and now he looked at her with serious, calm brown eyes.

"You should be careful of her," he said quietly, jerking his head faintly towards the door to indicate the girl who had just left. "Zhen Ji is trouble."

For a moment she just stared at him, eyes wide and uncomprehending, and then she burst out in a small laugh. "I'm not afraid of her," she said strongly, grinning at the absurdity of it all. Had he wanted to warn her just for that? Surely that was too trivial.

A small smile appeared on his face, and the man shook his head. "You do not know what she is, then. Strange. I guess they haven't told you yet." He looked at her searchingly, his eyes seeming to ask her a silent question. "They don't want you to know."

"Know what?" she echoed tersely, all the mirth gone. _What? What is it? What are your eyes trying to tell me?_ "Who doesn't want me to know?"

He regarded her in silence, and shook his head again. His fingers let go of her wrist, and he stood up from his chair, books in hand. "You're in a lot of danger right now. But it's not for me to tell you."

"Wait!" she cried, snatching at his hand in desperation, "What are you talking about? You can't start something and not finish it!" Gently he disentangled her fingers from his and walked to the door, leaving her standing there in stunned bewilderment.

He paused just as he was about to cross the doorway, turning to face her, and smiled almost sadly. "You should be careful of me, too." He caught sight of her pale face, and the flickering confusion in her eyes, and inwardly he felt himself soften. "My name is Zhao Yun." He nodded to her, and then he left.

----------------------------------------------------------------

[End notes: Whew. I think I'm about done introducing people (except maybe for one more), and I can finally get on to the plot. Don't worry, it's a good plot. Next week: Killings and killers. Lol. Thanks to the all readers who reviewed:

[HarborRat] Yeah, I know what you mean. Too many Mary-Sues out there when they do AU.

[Kudoh] Hey, it's dark AU for a reason, right? Though I haven't gotten to that part yet…

[Black Aura-Sama] You're a lot a closer than you think! And you hit everyone right on the dot, that was mainly the personality I was going for. Quan…eh, he seems very serious and all to me. Must be the sideburns.

[Sabaku.ai.tsuki] I promise to update every week!

[Beast Trainer] SSX is my favorite, too! Along with (who else?) Lu Xun and Zhao Yun.


	3. Chapter two: the Ascension

[Author's Quickie: Another Tuesday, another chapter. Hoo-ray. Okay, from now on it's going to be fast-paced, so I hope you can keep up! If you're confused, don't worry, it'll all be explained sometime in the near future. Leave me a message!]

[No, I do not own SSX or Lu Xun or DW. If I did, I would make this fanfic into a game instead.]

****

The Phoenix Project:

Chapter two: the Ascension

Sun Shang Xiang passed the rest of the day in a daze; she drifted by her fifth and sixth period classes, her pencil hovering over the top of her notebook but never descending to touch the paper. Her mind existed elsewhere; over and over she repeated Zhao Yun's words to herself, wondering what he could have meant. Something was being kept from her--something she should know. A rueful smile flitted past her face as she thought how melodramatic it might have seemed, but there was something in his eyes--the intense, seriously thoughtful look that was in them at the time--that made her push her doubts aside. _Danger. What kind of danger? _She wished he could have told her more.

The clanging of the bell dispelled her thoughts and she shuffled to her feet, moving on to lunch. Fortunately enough Ce had pointed out the Cafeteria to her beforehand, and fifteen minutes later she found herself balancing a tray over her left arm, walking in the fresh outdoors. A light touch at her elbow made her spin around.

"Hey." It was Lu Xun. He offered her a smile, and held up his own lunch for her to see. "Mind if I eat with you?"

She flushed faintly, and nodded. "Sure. Where do we sit?"

"Over here," he said, leading her across the Quad towards the tree groves, "The others usually sit here too." Sure enough, they found Quan and Ce's friends sitting behind one of the large trees, talking and laughing uproariously.

"Hey! If it isn't Ce's little sister!" Ning cried out, his attention diverted from his sandwich for the moment.

"I have a name," she bit out angrily, noticing how Quan shook his head at her, as if warning her not to let loose her temper. "Can you please not call me that?" she said, a bit more grudgingly polite.

"Yeah, okay." Ning shrugged, and returned to his sandwich. "You do play good volleyball though, I'll admit," he said between bites, grinning cheekily at her.

"Thanks," she returned dryly. "Hey…where's Ce? He's not here."

She could almost see every single one of them freeze up in response to her question. Suspiciously she regarded them, wondering if they were the ones hiding a secret from her. It couldn't be, could it? What was going on?

"Ce?" Zhou Yu repeated aimlessly, picking at his egg and ham croissant, "He's probably talking to our Biology teacher. He failed another test today…I wonder how he's going to pass that class." He grimaced, and pulled out a slice of cheese from his sandwich. "I do hate these 'Americanized' lunches. Makes me miss old fashioned fried rice and chow mein."

"You've never eaten fried rice and chow mein," Lu Xun observed wryly, "You always order fillet flounder and snow-pea leaves…"

Zhou Yu shrugged. "Hey, I like high-class food. What's wrong with that?" The others joined in picking at his taste, and Shang Xiang was left with the formless displeasure of knowing they had rather abruptly changed the subject. She sat in silence, staring at each of them with narrowed eyes, and pushed away the food on her tray. Last of all she glanced fleetingly at Lu Xun's laughing face, and then she returned to jabbing at her salad. What were they hiding from her?

A sudden scream made her drop her fork onto the tray with a loud clatter. "What was _that_?" she asked, her face turning white. The faces around her tensed up in expectant apprehension. "What's happening?" she cried, as around her students began running back towards the building in a panic.

"Shit. Huang Gai, find Sun Ce," Zhou Yu ordered, standing up in a sudden move and assuming a leadership position. "Lu Xun, take Shang Xiang back inside. Quan, Gan Ning, Lu Meng, come with me."

"What? Wait!" Shang Xiang cried, resisting as Lu Xun tried to take her by the hand to lead her inside, "What are you doing?"

"Shang Xiang," Xun said tensely, "You have to get out of here. Now." She jerked around to stare at him straight in the eyes, and without blinking he calmly met her furious, challenging gaze. "Please."

"…" Without speaking she followed him into the school, her eyes darting around so that she might pick up something, anything… What was happening? _Something_ was happening, damn it. She'd never seen Quan so anxious, nor Lu Xun so deadly serious. Why wasn't she a part of things?

They ran into Sun Ce in the hallway, breathless and uneasy. Ce met Lu Xun's gaze and quickly he pulled him to the side, exchanging short, brief messages. A few steps away Shang Xiang caught snippets of their conversation: "Scream…looking…Wei…stupid....hurry." She saw Ce nod rapidly, and he turned around to pin her with a piercing look.

"I'm going to look for the others. Lu Xun's coming with me. Shang Xiang, promise me you'll stay inside," he said in clipped, hurried tones. She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could do so Ce shook his head quickly. "Shang Xiang, _promise_ me!" he said sternly, sounding remarkably like their father as he did so.

Sullenly she looked down and nodded her head once. She knew better than to argue with that tone of voice. Ce, relieved, hurried down the hall and out of sight with Lu Xun, while she dragged her feet down the opposite direction.

She was always left behind. Obviously they didn't find her important enough to tag along, not even her older brothers. Some things never change, no matter how old she got or how much she tried to be responsible. It was like her family had some secret life they kept her away from. Even at school it was no different.

"What's this? A lost little girl?" A soft voice from above reached her ears, and, startled, Shang Xiang looked up. A man she had never seen before stared down intently at her from the top of the stairs, a coarse grin on his face. "Better not wander around, little girl--there are many wolves in the forest."

"Who the heck are _you_?" Shang Xiang bit out, scowling deeply. Stupid, chauvinistic males--why was almost every guy in this school labeling her weak? Ce, Ning, Zhou Yu--did they all enjoy reminding her she was female?

The tall man unwinded his arm from the railing, and step by step he approached her with the aura of an animal tracking its prey. Something unfamiliar gleamed in his eyes--cold, cruel eyes that narrowed in sharp dislike. "You're the little Wu girl," he said slowly, turning his head this way and that as he stared at her. The grin on his face widened immensely when he saw her unconsciously take a step back.

"Stop calling me that!" she snapped, unwilling to let him see how much he terrified her. "What the hell are you talking about?" She stopped and tightened her fist, promising herself that if he took one more step closer she would knock him out.

Just at that moment, he stopped as well. "I wonder," he said slowly, "What Sun Ce would do to me if I touched his little sister?" Shang Xiang's eyes widened in a mix of terror and despair, and she wondered fleetingly if she should run--run where? Outside? Damn it all, where were her useless brothers when you needed them?

When he reached out a hand towards her, she ducked and aimed a kick below his abdomen, hoping to catch him by surprise. He easily caught her leg in midair and shook his head in disapproval. "That's getting old," he said chidingly, letting go of her ankle.

In the next split second, his head snapped back from the force of her backslap, and he snarled in fury. Shang Xiang glared at him with a triumphant smile. "Wasn't expecting _that_, were you?" she said sarcastically.

The man smirked as he rubbed his chin, nodding almost as if in agreement. "Do you know what you just did?" he said pleasantly, folding his arms over his chest.

"I just slapped a bastard," she retorted, wary of his next move.

Surprisingly, he burst out in laughter. "Oh, you are the daughter of a tiger, for sure! Hmm. But no," he concluded, "You just slapped a guy…who will make your life a living hell. I am Zhang He."

"Oh, please," she scoffed, "That intimidation crap won't work on me."

"Are you brave? Or just stupid?" he wondered out loud, studying her. "Let's find out, shall we?" He grabbed at her arm, but she was too quick for him this time. She dropped down and rolled onto the floor, scrambling to her feet once she was out of his reach. _The door, the door!_ she screamed silently, the adrenaline pumping in her heart, the years of self-defense training kicking in, as she fumbled at the door handle. She shoved it open and ran down the path to the tree groves, hearing Zhang He call out behind her, "Oh, good. I like a little chase before the hunt!" _Self-confident bastard, _she thought, gritting her teeth in anxiety.

She turned sharply to the right, the landscape whirling by her as she ran heedlessly. All of a sudden, she heard footsteps behind her and she spun around, fighting hysteria. "The game is over," Zhang He said coldly, all trace of laughter gone. _I can't…I don't…keep running…_ A jumble of thoughts flew around in her head, but Shang Xiang knew her energy was spent. She was built for speed, not for endurance. _I can't…give in…_

With the barest of smiles, Zhang He lunged in for the kill.

[End Notes: Ah hah ha. Forgive me for the cliffhanger, couldn't help it. Another round of thanks to all the reviewers, new and old! Especially to Black Aura-Sama: Yet again you got Zhao Yun's personality exactly right. Wow. You and I seem to have the same perceptions of the characters. And how did you know I was going to drag Zhang He in here? I had this chapter written _way _before you even read the 2nd one! I'm impressed.]


	4. Chapter three: the Leveling

[Author's Quickie: Whew. Another chapter has rolled out. I wonder how I keep them coming. At any rate, thanks to everyone who's been kind enough to review! I think there's about seven more chapters left... :P]

Disclaimer: No. And....no.

**The Phoenix Project**

**Chapter Three: the Leveling**

She stood her ground. Tired of running, and even more tired of letting fear and doubts take control of her, she stood there and blocked his side punch, dodged his kick, and parried his upper blows. When he feinted a left kick, though, and instead brought it around in a sweep, she found herself lying flat on her back, having had her legs cleared out from under her.

Digging for a footing, she barrel-rolled and got to her knees a few steps away, her teeth gritted in distress. _I will **not** let him get the better of me, _she swore, tightening her fist, _I'll fight him as long as I need to..._ Deep in the back of her mind, she wondered how she had drawn down Zhang He's anger. Perhaps he was just a psychopathic bitch who had nothing better to do than to pick on girls. However psychopathic he seemed, however, Shang Xiang doubted this was the case. _His anger is too focused--almost premeditated. _Strange to say, it almost felt like he had come _looking_ for her.

"You fight down to the end," observed Zhang He, looking at her with what seemed like appreciation. "Just like the rest of your family."

"Don't you dare talk about _my_ family," she snarled, fury sparking in her eyes. "What the hell do you know about them?"

"All there _is_ to know about them," he answered, the cold light glinting behind his black pupils. "You fight well, little Sun, but not well enough--and I shall take extra pleasure in knowing your brothers can do nothing once I am done with you--" He raised a hand to strike her, and instinctively she flinched, shutting her eyes and waiting for the inevitable blow.

It never came. Something had jumped out in front of her at the last second, throwing a long shadow over her crouching form. A voice from somewhere above her said coldly, "Touch her, and I swear to God I'll kill you."

Her head jerked up in surprise as she recognized the familiar voice. It was Zhao Yun. Dimly she registered a blur of fast-moving shapes and low grunting sounds as the two men fought each other, but her mind was focused on one thing--Zhao Yun had come to her rescue. _Why?_ Was this the danger he had warned her of? Impossible. Then what was someone not telling her?

"You're not half so self-confident when your opponent's a man," Zhao Yun observed grimly as he slammed a fist into Zhang He's stomach and caught him unawares.

Zhang He leapt back, a hand clutching his stomach in pain. "Damn," he swore in a low voice, turning a toothy grin on Shang Xiang's stunned expression. "Looks like the infamous Zhao Yun has come to save you. You've had a close shave, little Sun. But this is not the end." He cocked his gaze back towards Zhao Yun, his eyes betraying a large part of his hatred. "Especially not for you." He turned and fled, disappearing around the next corner.

Zhao Yun watched him as he vanished, eyes narrowing at his unmistakable challenge. With a soft shake of his head, he turned around and bent down on one knee so that he could be at eye level with Shang Xiang. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked quietly, glancing at her with seriousness.

Swiftly she shook her head in response, wincing only slightly when he pressed a finger to her wrist. Zhang He had raked her with his fingernails when he grabbed for her arm; that man had a claw-like grip that left red streaks on her pale skin.

"Be grateful he didn't do more," Zhao Yun said, his voice low, "Zhang He's a dangerous man. He would have killed you. They shouldn't have left you alone."

"Who are you talking about? My brothers?" she asked him breathlessly, staring at him as she struggled to pull everything together. Somewhere in her chest, her heart began to beat quicker. "What does all of this mean?"

"You keep asking questions, but I can't answer them," he replied gently, letting go of her hand. He stood up to go, but she latched onto his arm and dragged herself up with him.

"No! Stop! You can't keep appearing out of nowhere and give me such cryptic sentences!" she burst out, knowing full well she was on the verge of throwing a temper-tantrum. "You have to tell me something, damn it! Zhang He says he knows my family--but I've never seen him before! And you, too! Who the hell _are_ you? Why are you helping me?" The questions snapped off her lips one after another, and it seemed she couldn't stop them.

He shrugged off her hands, his voice suddenly cold. "I'm not helping you," Zhao Yun said flatly, though his eyes failed to meet her quizzical gaze. "And stay away from me, for your own good."

She bit down on her lower lip and ran after him, refusing to let him shake her off this time. She wanted _answers_, damn it, and she would get them. "If you're not helping me, why should you care what I do?" she asked, grabbing his hand again. "Tell me what I need to know! Please!" A desperate smile faltered on her lips, and she asked in a despairing voice, "You're my friend, aren't you?"

He stopped, staring at her in mingled fury and disbelief. There was something else in his eyes for a moment, too--something she couldn't quite place. Then his eyes dropped down and he refused to look at her any longer. He detached her fingers from his hand and shook his head. "Stay away from me."

"Why?"

"Because..." he said in a mere whisper, "I've killed before."

Shang Xiang heard a gasp--was it her own? All she knew was that her eardrums were ringing--her mind was spinning--her heart was throbbing. She sank to the ground in horrified silence, her eyes wide and unseeing. She perceived only dimly when Zhao Yun had left her--and, a few minutes later, that Lu Xun and the others had found her. She found arms around her, the white faces of Ce and Quan hovering over her, and Lu Xun tightly holding her hand, but behind her blank eyes there was nothing--

Nothing at all.

"So how is she?" Sun Ce stirred at Gan Ning's question, and he raised weary eyes to his friend's face. Beside him, Zhou Yu leaned back into the leather sofa and closed his eyes, tired out from the day's escapades. The six of them were sprawled out in the living room of the Sun mansion, after having cut the rest of the school day.

"She's in her room right now. Lu Xun's with her." Though he had barely answered his question, Ce felt that it was a struggle just to open his mouth. Emotionally, he was drained. Wei's underlings had seen to that. "She's still in a state of shock."

"I would be too, damn it, if I had someone attack me at school," Zhou Yu broke in angrily, his eyelids snapping open. "They've gotten too bold--and we've gotten too stupid. How could we have left Shang Xiang alone?"

"My fault," Ce groaned, throwing an arm over the back of the sofa, "I shouldn't have pulled Lu Xun with me. No doubt he's feeling that too right now. But how were we supposed to know Wei was creating a distraction?"

"They killed some freshmen just so that Zhang He could get to Shang Xiang..." Quan said quietly. "My God, we almost lost her today."

"Yeah. Luckily for us, we got there just in time." Ce rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully, muttering as he did so, "Though I still don't know why Zhang He would just leave her in the path after having caught her alone." He shrugged, and seemed to dismiss the thought. "Shang Xiang said he just taunted her and then left."

"Not that she's saying much else," Quan commented gloomily. "I wonder how Dad's going to take this."

"How else? 'Not with a whimper, but a bang,'" Ce said dryly. "He's coming home right now. You can bet old Pop's gonna blow up when he hears it all. At us, mind."

"We deserve it," Quan insisted morosely. "We promised him we'd watch over her, remember? And you, running off to make out with your girlfriend..."

"Okay, okay, so that was my fault," Ce grumbled. "It won't happen again."

"We've got to look after her more carefully now," Zhou Yu said, fixing a stern glare at his friend.

"But how can we? That whole school's crawling with Wei minions," Ce said in disgust. "It's hard enough to keep her safe at home, never mind school. Yuan Shao, the stupid principal, has no backbone. It's his school, but it might as well be Cao Cao's for all he does with it."

"And Wei has more members than us." Zhou Yu sighed and rested his chin in his hands. "I hate to say it, but it seems we're going to have to resume night duties."

"Goody. You know how much I love those," Ce bit off sarcastically, "I always love risking my life in gang fights and coming home smelling like alcohol and blood."

"There's not much you can do about it," Quan said in a quiet voice. "Especially since you're taking over the business when Dad's gone."

Ce rolled over on his back and heaved a sigh. "Let's not talk about that right now." For a moment all of them were quiet, and then Ce broke the silence with a disturbing question. "Do you think she knows?"

They all jolted. "Who? Shang Xiang?" Ning asked incredulously. "No way. You've kept it a secret all her life, there's no reason why she should."

"She's...a lot smarter than you think," Ce said glumly, and he rubbed his temples in thought. "I don't want her to be caught up in this...this dirty business. I wish she could go to school like a normal girl. If she finds out about us...she'll do anything. Something impetuous. Something foolish."

"Shang Xiang will stick to the family," Quan said worriedly, trying for reassurance, "no matter what happens."

Ce let out a small laugh. "You know her just as well as I do, Quan. Shang Xiang has such a rigid sense of right and wrong... Remember three years ago? When she was just a skinny little fourteen-year old? When she saw that man slapping his wife in the streets, she rushed right over and pounded him into the dust. Damned if it didn't cause Dad a lot of trouble to hush it up secretly. And even then she was going to hand herself over to the police--because she thought it was the right thing to do."

"But that man _was_ wrong to slap his wife--and we're..."

"We're not? Is that what you want to say? How much more wrong--not to mention _illegal_--can we get?" Ce said dismissively, waving a hand at his younger brother's words.

"We're not the only ones," Quan said with a pale face. "Wei...and Shu...if we don't step in, they'll crush all of us. It's self-preservation. It's for her own good, too."

"Survival of the fittest, huh?" Zhou Yu cut in, shaking his head. Their attentions were diverted for the moment as Lu Xun descended down the stairs and took a seat on the nearest armchair. His eyes were listless and his expression, drained.

"How's she doing?" Ce asked, trying to smile faintly and bring back a shred of his former self.

"She fell asleep. I didn't want to disturb her, so I came down after she did." Lu Xun sighed and sank into his chair, leaning his head back against the soft leather. "She's scared, Ce. She doesn't have any idea what's going on, and she's starting to suspect some things." He fixed Ce and Quan with a solemn, quiet look. "You should tell her."

"We can't," Ce said vehemently. "It's not going to do any good."

"It's not fair to her," Lu Xun said, his eyebrows drawn in concern.

"Life's not fair." With this cryptic sentence, they all fell silent once more.

The dying sunlight danced on the window panes, the evening breeze blowing open the curling linen drapes in playful amusement. Somewhere outside, a songbird chirped, and a squirrel chittered as it scurried down a drainpipe. The day passed on as if nothing had happened--gently, smoothly--ignoring the lives of those doomed to pass waking hours on this earth.

Inside her room, Sun Shang Xiang began to cry

[End notes: Waii! Big hints dropped here...though they're not really "hints". So where is all of this headed? Next chapter, coming next week! (Black Aura-Sama, I always look forward to reading your reviews...it's like the pinnacle of my day...in a way, I think you are exactly like me: way too obsessed with the DW world for our own good.)]


	5. Chapter four: the Slip

[Author's Quickie: Whoosh. Chapter four is up, and here we are. After last time's melancholy ending, THE secret is about to come out--very, very soon. Does SSX have enough guts to deal with it? Guess we'll all find out. Also of note! I won't be able to update next week like I always do, since I'm leaving this Friday for college. The fifth chapter will come out two weeks from today (Tuesday!) so don't think I'm abandoning all my dear, dear readers! (Was that sarcasm? It sounded rather freaky. Ah, well.)

Disclaimer: Do they actually check for this? I mean, does some invisible spy file lawsuits against you if you leave it out? I only claim ownership of this story. And my computer. And maybe my socks. Don't sue.

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The Phoenix Project

Chapter Four: the Slip

The days slipped by, one after another--a week, then a month. Shang Xiang went to school, sat behind her desk each day, and took everything in without a word. It was easy to be ignored, to fade away amidst the faces, to sit in silence while time ticked on.

It was not so easy to forget.

What could be said? That she cried every night in her bed, yes--that she had lain in stupefied horror until the blissful sleep overtook her--and then would come the nightmares. She dreamt of Zhao Yun. His serious, smiling face bending over her notebook, showing her how to derive Avogadro's number--and then in a sudden change his face would contort in hate and he would rip, slash, and kill everyone who was in the room, splattering blood over the walls while she watched--until reaching over to latch his hands onto her neck and painfully squeeze the life out of her.

Every night she woke herself up by screaming.

Her father and brothers were at a loss to help her. They thought it was the attack that plunged her into such a state. She hadn't told them about Zhao Yun, hadn't told anyone--not even Lu Xun, whose quiet presence she valued more and more as she sank further into depression--because in the back of her mind, she wanted to protect him.

She wanted to protect a murderer.

It was a laughable idea. But she wondered, every so often, why Zhao Yun had told her--wasn't that as good as confessing a crime? Couldn't she lock him up for that? That he was joking, the thought had never crossed her mind. Zhao Yun wasn't the type to fool around with something like that. The expression in his eyes as he said it was full of pain, regret, a whole jumble of emotions--but no lie. So she fought with herself: to protect him, or to give him up. And yet, he had saved her life.

The time passed quickly. Each day, she withstood the insults that Da and Xiao Qiao threw at her; each day, she resisted the taunts that Zhen Ji said to her. And each day, she suffered under Zhao Yun's detached silence as he sat in front of her for class.

They acted as if they had never met. She made it a point to get to class early every day, and to bend over her books so that he wouldn't meet her eyes when he came in. Once in a while, she would glance at him, but it was only for a fraction of a second, never more. And if she had been looking, she would have seen he did the same every once in a while, too.

Gradually, she stopped screaming when she had her nightmares. She would only whimper…and for the rest of the night she would lay awake, watching as the moon disappeared beneath the trees.

Her brothers tried to distract her from her melancholy silence by being more loud, more comical than before. Ce made it a point to pull off his imitation of Yuan Shao every chance he could get, and it was all she could do to smile wanly. Sometimes Lu Xun took her for walks in the park during the weekends, and those were really the only times she actually smiled and forgot about her nightmares for a couple of hours. One day they visited the pond, while the last of the red leaves were still clinging to the tree branches, and fed the geese that had stopped by with bread crumbs. One of geese had snatched off the hat that Lu Xun was wearing that day, and they ended up chasing the waddling bird around the park. Afterwards, Xun plopped the hat onto Shang Xiang's head with a laugh and told her to keep it. Sweet, thoughtful Lu Xun. He was a ray of light in an endless darkness.

And so a month, then two months passed. But it was all just the calm before the storm.

As she tossed and turned fitfully in her bed, Shang Xiang thought she heard the loud bang of a door shutting downstairs. With a jolt she sat up, listening with her ears for any more sounds. It was one o'clock at night. Surely there wouldn't be visitors at this time of hour? Maybe it was Sun Ce. He had gone out earlier in the night, saying he had to go to a friend's party or something--he always had these "social obligations" to meet, and they were getting more and more frequent. Every so often he would come home drunk, lurching about in the darkness until he finally stumbled into his room. Sometimes he even left unpleasant surprises on the floor for them to find in the morning.

Deciding that she had nothing better to do at any rate, she flung off the covers and slid her feet into some slippers. With soft steps she paddled down the carpeted hall, heading for the stairs. To her surprise, she saw that all the lights were on in the living room. Hushed voices could be heard, and Shang Xiang moved closer to the stairs to hear better.

"Quietly!" A voice scolded, sounding like her father Sun Jian, "Don't wake up Shang Xiang."

"Relax Pop," someone else said (probably Ce), "I'm okay. You don't need to flutter over me or anything, I just need some breathing room."

"I knew this was going to happen," someone muttered, "They knew we were coming. Lucky we were able to get away, otherwise who knows what might have happened. Tomorrow--"

"Don't talk about that. It's bad enough Ce's injured, let's just get him a doctor--Shang Xiang!" Quan exclaimed in horrible surprise, as she appeared, darting down the stairs. She caught them all with inexorably guilty looks on their faces, each and every one of them--Ce, Quan, Zhou Yu, and even Sun Jian. Ce was slumped onto the sofa, with bloody gashes on his arms, while the others surrounded him in nervous anxiety.

"Ce!" she cried, rushing to his side and throwing herself onto her knees, "You're hurt! What's wrong? What happened?" Unexpectedly, tears sprang to her eyes as she surveyed the damage done to her brother. He looked a mess; not only were there long, open slashes right and left, as if someone had taken a knife and hacked him with it, but big purplish bruises were starting to form on his legs.

Ce smiled weakly and laid a hand on her head in tender reassurance. "I'm alright. Don't worry so much." When he noticed that she was crying, he frowned and wiped away her tears. "Hey, don't cry. I'm okay, I really am. Since when do you start crying so easily, Shang Xiang?" he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Unknowingly, he had darkened hers. _Since that day I found out Zhao Yun was a killer, _she thought silently, but she did as she was told and dried her eyes. She took Ce's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Ce, what happened? Who's done this to you?"

"Shang Xiang, you should be asleep," Jian said, having recovered from his initial shock. His daughter was so impetuous…it was senseless to order her to do anything, since she just ignored his request.

"Father!" She whirled on him, turning her fiery gaze to stare at each of them in return. "Tell me what happened!"

"Ce was…coming back from the party," Zhou Yu said slowly, sending a sideways glance at Quan for support. "Just as he was about to get in the car, he was jumped by these robbers. I guess they saw what a fancy car he had and they thought they could get some money from him. Anyway, you know Ce. He wouldn't give in, that stubborn temper of his, and the robbers attacked him. I was getting in my car at the time, so when I pulled up next to Ce, they had already left."

"They took my wallet, the bastards," Ce added, hissing as Jian dabbed ointment on his wounds. Shaking his head and tsk-ing as he did so, he began to wrap gauze around Ce's arm.

"You should be more careful," Shang Xiang admonished, though most of her wrath was gone by now. She had had the strangest thought a few moments before--a horrible, horrible thought. She imagined that it was Zhao Yun who had hacked her brother; Zhao Yun who had wanted to kill him. She shuddered and grasped Ce's hand all the more tightly. Thank god it wasn't true.

"Yeah, I know," Ce said, leaning his head back lazily, "But look at it this way: I won't have to go to school tomorrow, right?"

Grudgingly Jian tightened the last of the gauze and hooked it together with a wire clip. "You can't afford to miss any more classes, mister. This is the last time."

"You make it sound like I wanted to get cut up, Pop," Ce replied innocently, and all of them laughed. It was laughter that came too easily, too quickly; if anyone had looked deeper, they would have noticed that they were laughing to cover up something.

They were all afraid.

The next day, Shang Xiang kissed her oldest brother good-bye and jumped down the stairs three at a time, throwing on her school blazer as she went. Behind her, Quan was stuffing toast into his mouth with one hand as he held his books in the other, though he took the stairs one by one. They were both late for class.

"How fast can you drive?" Shang Xiang asked her brother frantically, as they both reached the first floor and started to pull on their shoes.

"Fast enough," Quan countered, and he looked up to see Ce's smirking face at the top of the stairs. "Oy! Don't give us that coy look! It was because of you we stayed up all night! Toss me your keys, I'm gonna borrow your car!"

"Don't crash it!" Ce yelled back, and he threw his keys down to the living room. Quan caught it in his hands, and he dangled them so that Ce could see it. "That car cost me eighty grand! I'll never forgive you!"

"Come on, go go go!!" Shang Xiang said, grabbing Quan by the arm and dragging him out the door. "Be good, you!" she yelled to Ce, and shut the door behind her. The two of them ran to the garages, and Quan pressed a button on a panel and one of the garage doors rolled back smoothly to reveal Ce's red Astin Martin.

"Eighty grand? It was only seventy-two," Quan muttered as he opened the door, flinging his backpack onto the backseat. Shang Xiang slid into the seat next to his, and shoved her books underneath her seat.

"Drive," she ordered, snapping her seat belt on, and in compliance Quan did so. He started the engine, floored the gas, and within seconds they were out of there. It took them twelve minutes to pull up to the school parking lot, after dodging traffic, numerous pedestrians, and angry police cars. Quan glanced at his watch and cursed softly.

"Crap, I have three minutes to get to the east building," he said, snatching his bag from the back, and Shang Xiang looked at him in commiseration. The east building was the furthest one away from the parking lot, a good two minute run even for the best of athletes.

"Go," she said, waving him out the door, "I'll lock up the car."

"Will you? Thanks," Quan said gratefully, tossing her the keys. "I owe you one. Later." He slammed the car door shut and waved good-bye, before running off towards the Quad. Shang Xiang leaned over and pressed the car alarm on, and locked all the doors. That done, she tucked the keys into her blazer pocket and gathered up her books from under the seat.

"Let's see…Bio, Chem, Calc…where's my Literature book?" she muttered, perplexed. She reached down and started digging in the space underneath the seat, searching for her missing book.

When her fingers latched onto something small and square-shaped, she pulled it out--and found herself staring at Ce's wallet.

[End notes: Ah hah ha! The deception! If I was SSX, I'd go kick Ce's butt. I'd probably manage it too. Anyway, what did you all think? The story _is_ moving, miraculously. And I can't believe USA lost to China in women's volleyball. That sucks! (Here I am, griping yet again about VB. Sheesh.) And what happened to China in men's gymnastics? They should have done better! (Yes, I'm contrary, I know.)]

[Black-Aura Sama: I feel like I should go "eek, eek!" whenever I read your notes. Two fish in a bucket, we are. So what does Ce seem like now? A silly monkey, yes, but how about a very poor liar? Does he strike you are being a poor liar in the game? Oh ho ho, I'm not done with him yet! As for Da Qiao…I don't know why I make her out to be such a biotch and a half in this fic, I just think her personality is very at-odds with SSX. You know: Tomboy v.s. Girly girl. Ich.]


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